Zalmay Khalilzad meets Taliban chief for 'candid discussion' on next steps

• The US and Taliban signed an historic agreement on Saturday.

US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad met with Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar for a 'candid discussion' on next steps.

The US envoy took to his Twitter handle and said he met Baradar and his team on Wednesday night. He said after his meeting he had a 'constructive phone call' with US President Donald Trump.

"We all agreed the purpose of the US-Taliban agreement is to pave the path to a comprehensive peace in Afghanistan," he tweeted.

I met Mullah Berader and his team last night for a candid discussion about next steps, followed by a constructive phone call with President @realDonaldTrump. We all agreed the purpose of the US-Taliban agreement is to pave the path to a comprehensive peace in #Afghanistan.

— U.S. Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad (@US4AfghanPeace) March 5, 2020

"Increasing violence is a threat to the peace agreement and must be reduced immediately. In addition to discussing the need to decrease violence, we also talked about the exchange of prisoners," he wrote in another tweet.

Khalilzad called on all Afghans to rise to the occasion and put country first and not to lose this historic opportunity.

We must act on all fronts to clear the road of obstacles that slow our progress toward intra-Afghan negotiations. I once again call on all Afghans to rise to the occasion, put country first and not to lose this historic opportunity.

— U.S. Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad (@US4AfghanPeace) March 5, 2020

Since the peace signing deal on Saturday, the militants have increased violence against Afghan forces. On Wednesday, Afghanistan’s interior ministry detailed 30 attacks by the Taliban in 15 provinces over the previous 24 hours. The attacks have left four civilians and 11 Afghan soldiers dead, as well as 17 insurgents, AFP reported.